US Public Can Now Access & Voice Opinions on Democratized Data

by A. Tran | May 21, 2009 at 02:38 pm

274 views | 48 Recommendations | 9 comments

Under the Obama administration, the American public has more multifaceted accesses to the government than any other US Presidency, regardless of party affiliations.

The Obama has been using technology effectively to connect and to reach out to Americans and other citizens around the world to deliver a plethora of messages, policies, announcements, and the goals of the administration.

President Obama has made the term transparency the cornerstone of his administration. The Open Government Innovations Gallery speaks volume about the Obama administration's efforts to engage the American public through information, transparency, and collaboration.

The public can look for information from the latest news on patents to government-sponsored online community for Small Businesses, from finding the resources for US History teachers to the answers about health reform, to name a few.

On Thursday, May 21, the OMB Director Peter Orszag has introduced another important milestone in government transparency, by announcing the launch of Data.gov

Today, I'm pleased to announce that the Federal CIO Council is launching Data.gov. Created as part of the President's commitment to open government and democratizing information, Data.gov will open up the workings of government by making economic, healthcare, environmental, and other government information available on a single website, allowing the public to access raw data and transform it in innovative ways.

According to Mr. Orszag, the Data.gov website is a user friendly one-stop center that will enable American citizens to find and use data collected and produced by all federal agencies.

One of the goals of the Data.gov is to engage citizens to read and disseminate the vast array of information to their communities. The public can download non-sensitive government data and tools in various formats.

Data.gov will also enable government agencies to communicate among themselves, which will encourage a higher level of inter-agency cooperation. It is an interagency self-checking system that might increase their performance in providing services to the American public.

The latest process of opening the government agencies' virtual doors also needs public participation through discussions of their ideas and suggestions to make government services more effective and transparent.

The American public is given a choice to participate constructively toward the betterment of their communities, or states, or nation by learning how the US government agencies operate. In other words, the public has the opportunity to offer solutions to various government agencies; or alternatively, the public can also voice their criticisms about these agencies.

There is a tutorial available here for the public.

Data.gov will also help government agencies—so that taxpayer dollars get spent more wisely and efficiently. Through live data feeds, agencies will have the ability to easily access data both internally and externally from other agencies, which will allow them to maintain higher levels of performance. In the months and years ahead, our goal is to continuously improve and update Data.gov with a wide variety of available datasets and easy-to-use tools based on public feedback and as we modernize legacy systems over time.

The latest unveiling of Data.gov is expected to engage the American public at-large to participate in reforming or changing some aspects of government agencies' operations. To some extent, the public can gauge how their tax dollars are being used to provide services across the nation through these government agencies.

On an enterprise level, data transparency can generate potentially economic, scientific, and educational innovations while encouraging civic engagement by citizens.

Readers are invited to view the White House video

Sources:
The White House
The Office of Management and Budget

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Jarrett Martineau

at 14:49 on May 21st, 2009

Great post. Thanks for this.

A. Tran

at 15:26 on May 21st, 2009

Thanks so much, Jarrett, for your read and recommendation.

Amy Judd

at 15:15 on May 21st, 2009

I think this is great because it really takes away the possibility of anyone saying the government is hiding this piece of information or that piece of information, which they could still do I suppose, but due to their transparent nature it would be harder to hide something from the public if they wanted to, and I think that's a good thing.

Good post.

A. Tran

at 16:38 on May 21st, 2009

Thanks so much, Amy, for your recommendation and comments.

I agree that this latest online access through Data.gov will allow average citizens to find out what and how some of the government agencies work. Further, the push for transparency by President Obama combines with the FOIA signed earlier this year should take away the credence of some of those outrageous misinformation circulating among some segments of the public.

dysamoria

at 05:00 on May 22nd, 2009

ideally, i would agree. there was an old Adbusters magazine where they had "radical ideas for a new government" ... one of my favorites was "No more secrets."

there will still be endless secrets... it wouldn't surprise me if this is just an attempt at giving the US government some good PR... but i'll try not to be too bitterly skeptical ;-)

duo

at 20:14 on May 21st, 2009

President Obama continued his policy of inclusion for Americans after his successful campaign. His administration invites our opinions on issues and is receptive to feedback. President Obama recognizes that running the country has the same requirement that a successful grass roots effort has: teamwork under good leadership.

Here is one example of President Obama's ongoing efforts to keep Americans involved in the success of his administration's efforts to improve health care. He recently asked that I share this widely info widely. See an excerpt from President Obama's email below, and interested persons could take advantage of his offer to get involved!

**************************

Mary --

When our opponents spread fear and confusion about the changes we seek, your support for these core principles will show clarity and resolve. When the lobbyists for the status quo tell Congress to hold back, your personal story will give them the courage to press forward.

Join my call: Ask Congress to pass real health care reform in 2009.

After adding your name, please consider sharing your personal story about the importance of health care reform in your life and the lives of those you love.

I will be personally reviewing many of these signatures and stories. If you speak up now, your voice will make a difference.

http://my.barackobama.com/HealthCareOrganizing

American families are watching their premiums rise four times faster than their wages. Spiraling health care costs are shackling America's businesses, curtailing job growth and slowing the economy at the worst possible time. This has got to change.

Thank you,
President Barack Obama

*************************

Mary Neal
Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill

dysamoria

at 05:45 on May 22nd, 2009

Hi Mary, thanks for that link. The page didn't work with Safari on Mac OS 10.5.7... i seem to have been more successful with Firefox... but... it doesn't confirm that i sent anything... it just sends me to a donation page. as if i have money to donate to powerful political groups that could crush me by sneezing on me...

do i have to donate money for my voice to be heard and counted? :-/

here is what i sent:

Your Story:

As the victim of the out of control "Behavioral Health" branch of the US healthcare industry, i wholeheartedly support sweeping changes in the entire "industry."

Note my word selection: "Industry."

It shouldn't BE an "industry."

Healthcare should not be subjected to the whims of corporate interest nor the arrogance of the few "in authority" who do not take actual care of their Patients (their Customers and their Responsibilities). Healthcare industry is ruled by those who act with impunity and lack responsibility when they prescribe dangerous medications to persons who do not need them, or when they institutionally withhold helpful medications from those who could benefit (case in point: Xyrem, which has a primary ingredient "GHB" made into a controlled substance by the Clinton administration under pressures of lobbyists and political crusades - yet, the dangerous SSRI/SSNRI class medications are handed out like candy to anyone who has even a slight sign of being depressed about how their life has been going - when i had a career and "benefits," i could pay for the medication and receive it, but without money and "benefits" the SAME DIAGNOSES is refused as acceptable use for Xyrem!!).

i've been in the "drugging" box called "Behavioral Health wards" at hospitals only to be abused by powerful, impatient, thoughtless and even sociopathic doctors, nurses and pharmaceutical corporations as they demonstrate their greed, arrogance and ignorance of autism by pushing drugging and other toxic treatments onto those who need better, more sensitive care, and as they provide yet more emotional abuse to those persons who have come "into the system" for HELP!

i've been forcibly drugged, threatened and refused proper care by corporations and by the US government; a valuable medication for sleep disorders (among other potential good uses) that could have helped me stay afloat and not become disabled and beaten down by an "autism intolerant" society. Now i live under government-supplied and corporate-directed "healthcare" on SSD/Medicare/welfare which provides only enough to keep me just barely alive. It keeps me disabled by not allowing me to grow outside the limitations of the "disability" status without LOSING the meager support it offers. It keeps me disabled and unable to recover from what has largely been the abuse of me by a society now being forced to pay for my meager survival at the cost of taxes (and my social security, which i'd been paying into since the age of 15).

Disability should not be an endless purgatory from which suicide becomes the only escape option.

i beg the government, President Obama and ALL healthcare practitioners and workers to move forward on a massive reform of what has become a corporate industry that takes advantage of the unfortunate persons classified as having "mental illness" and all persons who are unable to get real CARE and RELIEF for any and all physiological/mental disorders, diseases, injuries and suffering. This should be a society of cooperation and care, not an anti-society of sociopathy and corporate greed backed by "authority figures" who deserve none of the power they abuse.

Please, help me survive what has happened to this nation's mental health. The worst case of mental illness is the industrialization of "health care."

Additional Optional Comments:

i have been injured severely by the "establishment" - that means the combination of local/state/federal government AND hospitals/doctors. i was even dragged from my own home, abusively, to a hospitalization against my will at the hands of "process and procedure" domineering over "care and concern." my local police and county government are arrogantly intolerant of autism.

i am too disabled to do organizing, but i will share my story(stories) with any persons interested who can use them for evidence/research in providing better healthcare:

http://dysamoria.com/

and

http://dysamoria.com/abuse

Please do not send me any advertising, unrelated maillings or phone calls. i have very little energy left to manage my own life and health, let alone deal with the constant assault of spam and violation of my privacy and personal space. i am in support of actions that will reform healthcare, but i am not interested in being pulled into other issues unrelated to healthcare, autism, and disability rights.

thanks for offering me a place to be potentially heard.

duo

at 19:15 on May 22nd, 2009

Maybe the first part can register, even if a person does not complete the last page where one is given the opportunity to contribute to the effort.

It is always satisfying to feel that one is being heard, as you say.

ivory Cooper jr (not verified)

at 09:07 on May 30th, 2009

I would like to know whether it is fair to allow a company or anyone to access a person's credit for employment that has nothing to do with money or handling of funds. I recently have gone through a bad marriage and become divorce. Because of some bad decisions in our financing/losing my job/going through the divorce, my credit was damaged. I perform nothing but labor as a Electrician/Master Electrician and have been finding myself getting denied for employment which is leading me to poverty and I don't have a criminal history of any sort. What is it that we can do for a situation like that, especially when we are one's who has children that need to be fed. How is it that anyone is allowed to take advantage of this? There should be a law or something to not allow this to happen. Have anyone even thought that stuff like that can push a person to do whatever he have to do, whether good or bad to try to survive and feed his or her family. If I sound frustrated or mad, it is because I am. What is going on with this country where everyone is nothing but a number. Are we any different communism?